Andrey Rublev of Russia advanced to the quarterfinals of the Nordea Open on Thursday, defeating Federico Coria 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(2).
In windy conditions, the second seed, who is making his debut in Bastad, was forced to work hard against the tenacious Coria.
Rublev recovered from a 5-3 deficit in the third set by increasing his intensity in the tie-break, hitting through the Argentine to advance after two hours and 36 minutes in their first ATP head-to-head meeting.
“The conditions were extremely tough to play in. To show a great level,” Rublev said in his on-court interview.
“In the end, I am happy that I won. Federico played really well today, especially in the third set when he raised the level. It was really tough to play against, but I am really happy to win,” he added.
The 24-year-old will now face Laslo Djere, who defeated Swiss qualifier Marc-Andrea Huesler 7-5, 6-2 to reach his third tour-level quarter-final of the season.
Rublev, who has won titles in Marseille, Dubai, and Belgrade this season, is aiming for his fourth tour-level title this week at the clay-court event. After defeating last year’s finalist Coria, the World No. 8 now has a 9-0 record in ATP 250 tournaments in 2022.
(Inputs from IANS)